1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to picture display units.
2. Description of Prior Art
The invention relates more particularly, although not exclusively, to display units for photographs, slides and the like. The pictures (or slides) are separately mounted.
It is an object of the invention to enable a number of pictures to be displayed in turn in a convenient manner using a simply constructed multi-picture container unit.
According to the invention, there is provided a manually operable box-like picture display unit, said unit having a housing including a front wall for supporting a vertical stack of forward-facing mounted pictures inside the unit, a window in the front wall, a slidable carriage mounted in the unit to enable the pictures to be displayed in turn, the carriage being arranged to move in a first direction a rear picture of the stack, when the carriage moves in the same direction, beyond the stack and transport the picture forwards for viewing through the window, and the carriage being arranged, when the carriage moves in the opposite second direction, to push the picture in the same direction from behind the window into a front of the stack.
Preferably, the front wall has a second window adjacent the said window, the second window being positioned in the front wall in front of the stack.
In a preferred embodiment, the picture display unit includes a carriage biassing means to bias the carriage towards a first position in said first direction and to move the carriage to the first position whenever manually pressure in said second direction is removed from the carriage.
More preferably, the picture display unit includes damping means arranged to reduce the speed at which the carriage moves in side first direction under the influence of the biassing means.
It is preferred that each picture has a rear-facing recess and the carriage has a pivotable finger arranged to ride into the recess and be urged into the recess to move the picture in said first direction when the carriage moves in the same direction.
The picture display unit may include a rack and pinion mechanically connected between the carriage and the unit for moving the carriage in said first direction.
In a preferred embodiment, the housing includes a base for receiving the stack of pictures and the carriage is slidable upwards in said first direction and downwards in said second direction.